Can you believe fall is almost here?! It’s time to start transitioning your garden from summer to fall, are you ready? Rocky will be working with Harvest homeowners over the next few weeks to help prepare garden plots for the fall. Here are few ways that you can start preparing:
- Take a look at your garden and see what’s working and what’s not. Go ahead and pull out the plants that are no longer producing and remove any lingering weeds or debris.
- Since your summer plants have used most of the nutrients from the soil, incorporate organic compost and smooth it out. Adding compost will rejuvenate the soil when planting something new.
- Adding mulch will retain the seed moisture, and helps to prevent the soil from baking at the end of the summer. Straw, grass clippings or hay works well as an insulator.
In our last issue, Rocky recommended the following crops to plant in the fall: cabbage, broccoli, eggplant, swiss chard, kale, mustard, okra, spinach, winter squash, tomatoes, melons, beets, turnips, carrots, pumpkins, Brussels sprouts, and onion for sets. Be sure to get your seeds and let the planting begin!
Looking for a fun activity to do as a family? Create crop markers together! Here’s how you do it:
Step one: Collect, wash, and store lids from containers of juice concentrate.
Step two: Drill or punch a small hole in the top of each lid, just below the rim.
Step three: Cut images from seed catalogs to match the varieties of your seedlings. Cut them to fit within each juice lid, rim-side up. You could also have your kids draw/color pictures instead.
Step four: Using a foam brush, glue each image to the juice lid (you can use mod podge). Spread a layer of mod podge over the picture as well to give it a glossy sheen and protect it from the weather when it’s moved outdoors.
Step five: Check to make sure you have a marker for each item you’re growing in your garden.
Step six: Buy as many wood garden spikes as you have markers.
Step seven: Using tiny nails or push pins (e.g. lady bug push pins) attach each juice lid to the top of each post. Rubber mallets work best for push pins, but if you are using nails a hammer is better.
Step eight: Pound each stake into the end of a row or in the appropriate area of your garden to mark your different plants.
[Source: Pinterest]